James Harding

I think there is so much design; so much flawless perfection in creation, that I find it impossible to give all the credit to a random, meaningless and lonely explosion.

Fred Hoyle, in the magazine The Observer, said, 'There is a coherent plan to the universe, though I don’t know what it’s a plan for.’

The universe has this strange, fractal-like trend to it. These odd designs are repeated and echoed throughout eternity. From the nature of gravity, circles, life-forms and atoms, there is a constant, repeated process that shouts the majesty of something greater.

Collection connections

Discuss how photography can produce images of high fidelity yet make the world seem unfamiliar and strange. Analyse the techniques James Harding has utilised in his sequence of images that have transformed something quite ordinary and everyday into something extraordinary and fantastic.

Speculate on why Harding and Simone Douglas each decided that one image was not enough in their work. Discuss the impact this decision has on the subject matter both materially and conceptually.

Assess the ways each artist has manipulated light to create unexpected forms in their images. How has does this affected the atmosphere and reading of each image?

Discuss the importance of framing and composition in photography. Outline how it has been manipulated by each artist to manufacture the desired relationship between image and viewer.